Woodland on Alderney

Wooded valleys and the community woodland create great habitat for locals and visitors to enjoy.

Alderney boasts a number of areas of woodland which are popular for relaxing walks and nature-watching.

The Community Woodland

Les Rochers was once a largely overgrown area of semi-abandoned land. This is now the site of the largest community woodland project in the Channel Islands. An area of 17 hectares has been planted with a mixture of native trees, including a small community orchard. Visitors can explore the woodland trails and learn more about the wildlife of the area and its industrial and military history at ‘feature sites’ which are being developed.

At the heart of the Community Woodland lies Sand Pit, an old quarry. This is now heavily overgrown, with a willow screen that provides an excellent place for watching small birds sing the scrub within the floor for cover, including Thrush, Goldfinch, Linnet, and Dunnock. The surrounding short grassland is maintained by rabbits and is a good place to find Carline Thistle between August and October.

Other woodland

Other popular wooded spots on Alderney include:

The Water Lane which is a deep wooded valley containing some of Alderney’s oldest woodland. This mainly consists of Ash and Sycamore, although several towering Black Poplars are to be found near Newtown Road.

Le Vau du Saou is part of Alderney’s second nature reserve and offers the only heavily wooded cliff-top valley on the island.

Bonne Terre is the largest valley on Alderney, this was a popular area for fruit and vegetable growers up until the Second World War. Today naturally regenerating woodland extends up the valley and throughout March and April the valley turns white with Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Elder blossom, whilst in April it provides one of the best displays of native Bluebells.

Apart from the new woodland planting you may find in the autumn the occasional giant puffball fungus. The area is also very good for bird watchers looking for passing migrant birds and insects in the spring and autumn.